United States-Caribbean Strategic Engagement Act of 2016

Floor Speech

I thank Chairman Royce and my good friend Mr. Engel for their continued leadership, both of these great leaders, their longstanding engagement to greater engagement with the Caribbean and for introducing this bill that we have before us today, H.R. 4939, the United States- Caribbean Strategic Engagement Act.

I am also pleased to be an original cosponsor and the Republican lead of Mr. Engel's legislation. I thank Mr. Engel. It is fitting that we bring this bill to the floor today, Mr. Speaker, during National Caribbean American Heritage Month.

As a Member from south Florida, I see firsthand the wonderful contributions that Caribbean Americans have made to our local communities. The Caribbean culture has had a great and lasting impact on our country and has helped bolster our society and has enriched our traditions.

But while we celebrate the contributions of the Caribbean American community to our country, we must also dedicate ourselves to doing more to enhance our relations with our neighbors. U.S. foreign policy in recent administrations--be they Republican or Democratic--have not strengthened our partnerships with the Caribbean in the right way. As the gentleman from California (Mr. Royce), our chairman, pointed out, our influence and friendship with these nations has waned, allowing the negative influence of the dictatorships in Cuba and Venezuela to take root in the Caribbean.

Deepening our strategic relationship with the Caribbean represents an extraordinary opportunity to expand our economic ties, to cooperate on security issues, and to advance our values, our interests at institutions such as the OAS, the Organization of American States, and the U.N., the United Nations.

That is why, Mr. Speaker, this bill is so important. It pushes the State Department to prioritize our relations with the Caribbean nations. It requires our State Department to develop a strategy to partner with our friends in the region on all issues, from counternarcotics efforts, to energy security, to everything.

There is great potential for energy in the Caribbean, for example, but we must help nations break from their dependency on Venezuelan energy, especially as the Maduro regime is leading that nation to total chaos. We should help our neighbors take advantage of abundant and cheap natural gas and new, advanced, clean wind and solar technologies. In this way, we can help strengthen the economies of the region from the impact of the Venezuelan collapse--because the collapse is coming, Mr. Speaker--and take realistic steps toward reducing carbon emissions.

This engagement has the benefit of being positive and sound foreign policy, but it is also great for our domestic policy. This bill will broaden our outreach to the Caribbean diaspora community here in the United States, which has been so instrumental in helping to shape and influence our great American story, and they deserve recognition and greater collaboration.

I urge my colleagues to give their strong support for this bill. I thank Ranking Member Engel for his leadership, as well as Chairman Royce, on this important initiative.

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Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, I continue to reserve the balance of my time.

Mr. Speaker, I thank, once again, Ranking Member Engel for his tremendous leadership and all of his efforts to promote stronger relationships with nations within our own hemisphere.

I have the distinct pleasure, as I have said, to represent south Florida in Congress. We have many, many constituents in my district from the Caribbean. Part of what makes south Florida so unique is the contribution of the Caribbean diaspora.

What we have here during Caribbean American Heritage Month is an opportunity to strengthen the U.S.-Caribbean alliance and contribute in a meaningful and positive way to our neighbors.

We have been in a crisis mode, Mr. Speaker, focusing most of our attention on the many areas that, rightfully, demand our attention overseas, but it would be in both of our long-term interests, as well as our near-term interests, to develop mutually beneficial and strategic alliances close to home with the Caribbean nations.

Just think of all the economic opportunities that we can help in working with our neighbors to open up. We have a great opportunity with this bill to help them diversify their economies by tearing down burdensome barriers that are preventing them from taking advantage of direct foreign investment and trade. That can lead to greater growth, more stability for the Caribbean, for the diaspora, and for the United States as a whole.

So I urge my colleagues to support passage of this important bill. I look forward to continuing to work with Mr. Engel and Mr. Royce to develop even stronger ties to our neighbors in the hemisphere.

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Ms. ROS-LEHTINEN. Mr. Speaker, on that I demand the yeas and nays.

The yeas and nays were ordered.

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